1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to dishwashing appliances and, more particularly, to a basket assembly for holding items such as silverware and the like in a dishwasher, and an apparatus associated therewith.
2. Description of Related Art
A dishwasher generally includes a tub defining an enclosure for receiving kitchenware to be washed. Such a dishwasher generally includes dish racks defined by a lattice structure adapted to hold kitchenware items such as dishes, plates, glasses, cups, pots and pans for washing within the tub. The dish racks typically are configured to be movable into and out of the tub of the dishwasher so as to facilitate loading and unloading of the kitchenware items. At least one of the dish racks normally has a silverware basket assembly mounted to or formed therein for holding knives, forks and spoons. For example, dishwashers typically include a lower dish rack configured to receive and accommodate various forms of “silverware baskets.”
Often times, the aim of such silverware baskets is to provide the largest and most usable configuration that will reasonably fit in the lower dish rack while allowing sufficient space for accommodating other dishware and cookware. In some instances, in order to make the lower dish rack as large as possible, the forward edge of the lower dish rack may include chamfers extending from the side walls of the lower dish rack and converging toward a front wall of the lower dish rack. In this manner, the “narrowed” front wall of the lower dish rack may be configured so as to extend into a recessed area defined by the inner portion or liner of a door assembly (i.e., so as to allow the lower dish rack to extend outwardly of the forward opening of the tub to increase rack capacity). Due to, for example, structural limitations, the recessed area defined by the inner portion of the door assembly cannot be configured as wide as the tub, thus requiring the chamfers in the lower dish rack such that the lower dish rack can be accommodated by the recessed area. Thus, to maximize the capacity of a silverware basket configured to be received by one side of the lower dish rack, the silverware basket would have to include one or more chamfers or a large radius about the forward end of the lower dish rack to conform to the configuration of the lower dish rack.
Further, in this regard, some users desire silverware baskets having provisions, such as lids, for holding individual silverware items in a spaced-apart disposition during the dishwasher cleaning cycle. However, because of the extra time required to load individual silverware items in a spaced-apart manner when using such lids, other users may prefer silverware baskets without such lids, so as to allow the silverware items to be loaded without regard to the separation therebetween. In certain silverware baskets, if such lids are included, the lids are often configured to pivot about one side thereof (i.e., a forward or rearward end of the lid) to allow users to readily load silverware items by inserting multiple items therein at one time, without regard to separation therebetween. If the lid is configured to pivot from about the forward, rearward, or lateral sides of the silverware basket, the structure required for the lid to pivot may extend inwardly from that wall, and thus may reduce the useable area and/or hinder access to the silverware basket. In instances where the lid is required to pivot about the forward wall (i.e., toward the door assembly) of the silverware basket, the vertically extending lid, when the lid is pivoted to the open position, may hinder access to the silverware basket, thereby making it more difficult to load the silverware items in the silverware basket. In addition, a large chamfer or radius about the forward corner may preclude the ability of the lid to rotate at all, thus removing a possibly desired feature from the dishwasher. Furthermore, such lids are typically lost or otherwise misplaced if the user removes such lids to allow full use of the silverware basket capacity.
Thus, there exists a need for a basket assembly capable of conforming to various configurations of a dish rack, while also being configured to provide flexibility with regard to the loading of silverware items so as to accommodate user preferences.